CoBRA jawan injured in IED blast by Naxals in Chhattisgarh

A jawan of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a specialised anti-Naxal unit of the CRPF, was today injured after Naxals triggered an IED blast in Chhattisgarh"s insurgency-hit Dantewada district, police said.

Police identified the injured CoBRA commando as constable Piyush Kumar, adding that he had sustained splinter injuries in the IED blast.

The incident took place this evening in the forest at the foot of a hill in Bacheli area, some 450 kilometres from here, bordering Bijapur district, during a search-cum-area domination operation by security forces, said an official.

"A joint team of CoBRA"s 204th battalion and District Reserve Guard (DRG) had launched the operation from Gangaloor in Bijapur and were in Bacheli area when Naxals triggered an IED blast and opened fire," he said.

The Naxals fled after coming under heavy retaliatory firing, the official said.

The injured constable was taken for treatment to a local hospital and then shifted to Raipur, he said.